fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #660 ]

[ SECRET POST #660 ]

⌈ Secret Post #660 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[Metal Gear Solid]

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[No Heroics]

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[Invader Zim]

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[Kyou Kara Maou]

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[Ctrl+Alt+Del]

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[Naruto; Sasuke]

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[Nevermind the Buzzcocks]

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[Casper]

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[Anne Hathaway; The Devil Wears Prada]

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[Bleach]

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[Princess Tutu]

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[Avatar]

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[Nabari no Ou]

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[Priviledged]

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[Avatar]

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[Fringe]

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[Life on Mars]

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[Friends / [title of show]]

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[A Bit of Fry and Laurie]

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[Marquis De Sade / Von Sacher-Masoch]

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[Harry Potter, Remus/Sirius]

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[Metal Gear Solid, Snake/Otacon(?)]

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[Harry Potter]

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Notes:

CITY STUFF → http://lolbuttsex.myminicity.com/com

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 300 secrets from Secret Submission Post #095.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 2 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ], [ 1 2 - are these fandom? ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Forgot to address the issue of part-time workers: It depends on the employer. Cash-only agreements based on nothing but a handshake can and do exist. If you work for a large company, of course, you'll have to produce taxpayer id, an address, a jyuuminhyou (residence certificate, obtained from the ward office), and other documentation as required by the large company.

Smaller business, especially those unincorporated, or a mom-and-pop sort of thing? *shrugs* Anything goes.

This is the kind of information I would have liked to see from the beginning. It shows that you do know what you are talking about and have thought about it, and are not just acting defensive and trying to come up with excuses. If you give information like this and then mention that you are a beta for the story, it speaks for the quality of the story, assuming that you don't let the author get off easy just because you know them in RL.

My irritation with many unrealistic stories comes largely from having seen too much crap where everything is Americanized, or important facts are ignored to take a shortcut to sex and cool stuff. It usually does not take too much work to address issues like that, and it is worth it. They make the story a lot more believable; it is easier to take a story seriously when it shows that the author has put some thought and effort into it instead of taking shortcuts. Even when I don't agree with their choices, I can respect the fact that they have addressed the issues, instead of just ignoring them. Most of my favorite stories for any fandom pay attention to details like that, and show knowledge of canon and the culture the story is set in. There is one particular author I like who has lived in Japan as a foreigner and inserts some really delightful details in her stories, which really enhances the feeling of being there with the characters in that very situation. It would not be possible to just paste other character and place names for a story like that and still have it work, like is the case with the more generic stuff. That is kind of the point in this whole thing for me; it frustrates me when authors ruin stories that could be (somewhat) good (or even excellent) by simply ignoring the things that would make them stand out from the mass. Everybody can write smut and teen angst; it's what everybody can't write that matters. In your case, since you clearly are well-versed in all things Japanese, I would assume that you have instructed the author of such, and it shows in the story. That is the best argument you can have for the quality of the story, but it only works if you first prove that you do know that stuff. It may be self-evident to you, but it is not to someone who's never heard of you before. Remember that for the next time something like this comes up, eh? ;)

If you give information like this and then mention that you are a beta for the story, it speaks for the quality of the story, assuming that you don't let the author get off easy just because you know them in RL.
First of all, the only point mentioned in the secret was the SSN, so I addressed the SSN issue. As I have not read any other Sai-returns story (not for lack of trying), I can't say anything in general for what people get wrong and what people don't. ^_^ Secondly, I think no one I've ever betaed would ever accuse me of being too soft--knowing the author is excuse enough for me to be really honest, and I ~~abuse~~ use that card often. (But you wouldn't know that. I'm just saying.)

[ETA: I agree with you on the "OMG THAT'S WRONG" factor. It's why I often can't read otherwise well-written stories. My suspension of disbelief only goes so far, as a reader and as a writer.]

It may be self-evident to you, but it is not to someone who's never heard of you before.
This is the piece of advice I will take away from this whole thing. I take my name-recognition for granted in my fandom, and I needed the reminder that not everyone knows who I am. Thank you.

Edited 2008-10-28 06:42 (UTC)

Well, it was just an example, as the wording in the secret should show. I was also thinking of things like getting an apartment and a job, education history, doctor's records and so on. Basically, some kind of proof that he exists.

I've tried some, but I haven't finished reading any. Fanfiction.net has a bunch of them. In one Sai dropped from a tree in front of Hikaru, I think. There was one that had a good start in that Sai showed up as a hospital patient and his records showed that he had been treated there for a long while, but I think it was in that story where god also got them an apartment, so it kind of ruined it.

I don't know if you're into Harry Potter at all, but that fandom has some *headdesk*-worthy stuff. Even basic things like "electricity does not work around magic" get ignored just so the Sueish characters can listen to their Avril (who is actually several years younger than Harry Potter). However, I saw a decent story where they researched a way to make a computer work with magic; it was actually interesting.

You're welcome. I presume (based on your icon) that your main fandom is PoT? I dropped out of it when the subs were somewhere around when Hyoutei had just showed up. I've taken some peeks since then, but I really don't get the fandom and I haven't found any long fics that have really hit it for me. It is probably a factor that I tend to prefer the less popular pairings and am more interested in character development than smut. If you know of good, long, finished stories that have more than smut in them, feel free to recommend. Something with Hyoutei might work, or less popular Seigaku combinations. I've watched most of the Nationals, so spoilers are not an issue.

I haven't read anything on FFN in a long time. *sheepish* I really should, but I don't feel like spending time wading through everything else there. At least on LJ my friends tell me about fic that's worth reading, and I watch the authors I care to read.

Re: HP, I was on the fringes a long time ago, and I haven't felt the need to go into the fandom at all. I was around when Fictionalley was becoming _the_ place to go, but I was only a reader, and I read VERY few stories. (That was back when I was a high school student and actually had time to read...) I think I only cared about one (the Psychic Serpent trilogy, by Barb.) Never really found anything else since then (except Transfigurations). The fics that really push the "what is magic" and explore the magical properties of the HP world were the ones I cared about, but I will be the first to admit you could fit the titles of all the HP fics I've read into one of LJ's comment boxes, and still have room enough for a drabble without scrolling.

I presume (based on your icon) that your main fandom is PoT?
It's a fair presumption! I think I'm actually more well-known in Hikaru no Go, which is another reason why I leapt to the assumption that you knew who I was. (Knowing most of the authors does not mean being known by most of the readers, but it's hard to remember this when I've not had to introduce myself in a long time.) I actually don't read very much myself, nowadays, because I'm a little swamped. (I also tend to specialize in Seigaku, Tezuka in particular, so eventually everything starts to sound the same.)

As for a rec... here, a current one. If you haven't seen

subrosa_tennis yet, I strongly recommend you do. This round we have some VERY strong fics. As co-mod, I am very pleased with this round's "harvest" overall. ^_^ (There _are_ some fics I just can't get into, but I think that holds true everywhere...)

I also recommend

goldenagefic, which has a lot of Hikago as well as PoT.

The character search is good for finding less popular pairings. You'll still end up with lots of crap, but there's sometimes a gem or two to be found. It doesn't help with gen stuff or more popular pairings, though. It's probably safer to go through recs. There are a couple of really good HikaGo fics there; I can think of three at the moment. Two of them were wips the last time I saw them and somewhat AU; a different take on the canon events. The finished one was one where Hikaru died and showed up as a ghost during a stormy night at Akira's door. I can't remember the title, but my male friend who never reads fanfiction (and somewhat resembles House in his commentary) loved the story when I made him read it, and that tells a lot. It's probably THE fic for me in the HikaGo fandom and I found it on ffnet. In general I prefer reading fics on series-specific archives or the author's personal website, as long as they have some understanding of readable colours vs. something a hippie on crack designed. I prefer archives like this (http://www.athenewolfe.com/justrewards/index.php), though; ones that have the option of opening the story chapter by chapter or as a full story.

Fictionalley = fanfiction.net part 2, in my opinion. It may have occasional good stories, but most of the stuff is as much crap as most of the stuff on ffnet. With big fandoms like HP recs are really the way to go, until you find some authors whose work you like. Never read the Psychic Serpent, but Transfigurations is one of the better H/D ones. I find this website (http://partial-eclipse.net/lists/index.html) helpful when trying to find fics with a particular theme. Some of the stuff linked is crap, but there's also good stuff, and the classifications help a lot in trying to find something that might interest you.

I don't really read that much HikaGo fic, as there's generally not much good, long, finished gen to be found (or I look in the wrong places), and I tend to stay away from HikaAki/AkiHika after seeing so much OOC stuff. I'd like to see some decent Meijin/Sai for a change.

Thanks for the links. :)

I hate to rec myself, but... here, Meijin/Sai. A Deeper Calm.

The character search is good for finding less popular pairings.
This is where I admit--sheepishly and with much foot-shuffling--that for me, it's never about the pairing. I actually don't care who's doing what with who (... okay, no, I do care when it squicks me, but I don't have OTPs, for the most part). The fic you mention, I think I have read, but it was a long time ago! (I read that one on FFN.)

Fictionalley didn't use to be so big. *sighs* I was around when there were almost no stories to read on that site. (I have no idea when was this. I was in high school, that's all I can remember. I had also finished books 1 and 2 for sure. No idea if I read 3 by the time I started looking for fic.) I have had

mistful's DDG and QoM recced to me repeatedly, but for some reason I don't enjoy them very much, possibly because we have different views when it comes to characterisation, and I can't reconcile Maya's with my own.

Thank you for the multiple HP links! I'll have to go through them one day. *adds them to her Readitlater* ^_^

Actually one of the links was a Buffy archive. The other one is HP, though. :) If you like slash, PSA (http://glassesreflect.net) might have some good stuff. It's been years since I've visited it, though, and the last time I tried it the new version wasn't yet functional. I think that it's also about Harry-pairings and James-pairings, so you won't find e.g. Lucius/Severus there. Might be best to find a rec list by someone with a decent taste and use it to find readable stuff.

I have OTPs for a couple of fandoms, but mostly I'll read anything I don't dislike. I like less common pairings because they usually require some work from the author to make them work, so that makes them more interesting; they're also less likely to make me feel like I've read the same thing a 100 times before. I often have fun with the pairing search trying to come up with some strange matches and am then disappointed when I find nothing. I've found some great stuff I hadn't thought of before like that. I often enjoy exploring the possibilities and character dynamics, how some unlikely couple could be made to work. It is my firm belief that a good author can make any couple believable; some just take more work to reach that point. I like gen fics and occasional het, too. It's less about the pairing and more about the character focus for me; if the fic is about a particular pairing, I know that the focus is on those characters, but I'm as likely to like a well-written story about them in a friendship setting.

I always associate the site with Cassie Claire / Aja / Ivy / Mistful and their minions, and I've never been fond of that sect or their fics. I've read something supposedly amazing by Mistful, but it bored me and I never finished it. I also never understood the CC hype. Aja had a couple of nice fics, but I didn't like most of her stuff, either. There are lots worse fics on the site, though.

Yeah, considering the time crunches, I've devolved into going by authors I know or by recs.

Which site are you talking about in the last paragraph? FFN?

Fiction Alley. Most of the time when I hear it mentioned it comes with a mention of those people. However, I have read a couple of nice fics (written by someone else) I found via recs, at FA.

Ah, I see. ^_^ I really haven't been in the _fandom_ part of fandom that long.

I LOL'd at this
The finished one was one where Hikaru died and showed up as a ghost during a stormy night at Akira's door.
Is this the one? http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2295997/1/

*snorts at the irony of it

getting an apartment and a job, education history, doctor's records
*facepalms* No way Sai could get an apartment on his own with no ID. *just got one of her own in September* Sai couldn't afford it either, not without help or some independent wealth. You have to pay far too much money upfront. I paid almost half a year's rent to move here!

Job - depends on the employer. Same reasons I mentioned before. ^_^

Education - Sai would have no use for it... until he was asked for it. Often, though, one can get by with a fake certificate. See how many politicians in the Western world have been exposed as fakes because they never attended Harvard or some other big name school, but had the certificates or just told everyone they did... (why are the only examples I can even _vaguely_ recall all American?)

Doctor's records - you make a new set of records when you go to a new place. As long as you have health insurance, no one asks questions. Even when you don't have health insurance, people will take you as long as you have cash. (Though of course, the flexibility, again, depends on the size of the institution... again, small places don't have the luxury of insisting on bureaucracy.) ETA: I can't remember if _everyone_ produces ID. If you go on private arrangement, however, anything is possible.

Edited 2008-10-28 07:34 (UTC)

Interesting. What if he and Hikaru got one together? Could they do it officially or would Hikaru have to take care of everything on his own? As in, Sai officially living there on paper, instead of just staying in Hikaru's apartment. Where I live, you generally have to change the contract when a second person moves in, although I guess it would be possible to keep it in only one person's name, if they don't mind taking all the responsibility for missing rent and possible damage.

I don't know about Japan, but here people would be suspicious of hiring someone with no educational background. Faking documents might work, as I doubt that most check them for authentity. If he were to become a pro go player, he likely wouldn't need even them.

Ah, I forgot about that. I guess they could claim that he had lived someplace else. I think that here they often like to request the files from the previous place of residence, although I don't know if that is always the case. I'm pretty sure they did that with my dentist's records at least.

Could they do it officially or would Hikaru have to take care of everything on his own?
When I shared an apartment with two people (one of who was also on the lease), they did ask for his ID. We had no choice but to put his name on the lease, by the way, because the rent was more than 50% of my monthly salary.

If Hikaru and Sai got one together, they would both be responsible for the rent. Therefore, the background checking would be just as strenuous. In Japan, a guarantor is required--if you have no guarantor, then a guarantor company _AND_ a person who can act as an emergency contact. I have no doubt there are ways around the guarantor bit, but the lack of ID would be seriously disturbing. It would rule out a LOT of places, unless Hikaru got his own place and let Sai stay there on the sly.

All that is just a long way of saying, "No." *sheepish*

Yes, people would be suspicious of hiring someone with no educational background, but fake documents are far too easy to make, and there are tons of little schools or unknown universities.

A pro go player actually _would_ need ID, by the way. All pros register with the Nihon Ki-in. (It looks exactly like it does in the anime/manga! ^_^ On the outside anyway. On the inside a lot has changed, and it is much more cramped.) Besides, pros get paid for events and engagements, and tournament awards. Those are taxable, and where there is tax there is paperwork.

I don't recall my old clinic requesting my medical files from the clinic before that. (*has been to two so far*). They didn't care where I'd been before, methinks.

Oh, I realize that a go player would need ID; I meant the education part. I don't think that it is a requirement for becoming a pro, except possibly some kind of record of having finished the compulsory education. Obviously they need a bank account, as was mentioned in some episode/chapter, and that comes with its own complications. You are a foreigner living in Japan, correct? Have you gotten a Japanese bank account? Was it difficult? I think that when a friend of mine lived abroad for a while she couldn't get an account because of some requirements; might have been because she was living there only temporarily. It wasn't in Japan, though.

Although Sai is clearly Japanese, so the foreigner aspect doesn't really come to play in his case. He might need to prove that he lives there permanently, though.

He might need to prove that he lives there permanently, though.
The problem isn't that. It's in ownership of the money. Without ID, anyone could walk into the bank and say, "I'm Fujiwara Sai, here's what I want you to do with my money." The bank takes ID before hand, and then every time you come, they ask you to produce ID.

There are other reasons that have to do with money-laundering prevention and compliance. Suffice to say, no ID, no bank account. (But that's a completely different issue from foreigners opening accounts. Yang Hai, for example, would have trouble. So would Touya Meijin in China, actually.)

I suspect compulsory education is all that is required, but you have me there. If you _really_ care, I'll try to decipher the Ki-in's webpage and see if they have something listed, but I'd rather not... ^_^;

I do have a Japanese bank account. In fact, I have two. I also have two credit cards from Japanese institutions, though admittedly I've been turned down from one more. After six months in the country it becomes much easier to get credit/bank accounts, but it's still not easy. I'm the only foreigner I know with credit cards, though I wonder if it's just because other people can't be bothered to apply for them. XD

No need just, just pondering. :)

That makes sense. As for the credit cards, I have this image that many smaller stores in Japan don't take credit card, is that true? If it is and people have to pay in cash for the everyday shopping, it would make sense that they don't see the point in getting one if they're not into online shopping. It might be that I'm wrong, though; it's difficult to tell fact from fiction when I haven't actually lived there myself. I'm so used to paying with a card that I usually don't even carry (much) cash nowadays, so I would certainly have problems in a case like that! Even some of the stands in the market place here take credit cards and they don't even sell anything expensive, but vegetables and such.

Yes, a lot of stores don't take cards, but I actually use credit cards a lot. Supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, karaoke, tons of places. I try to use cards when I can because I get points (and I don't have to go to the ATM as much).

Speaking of ATMs, I hate being charged to have access to my money! *groans* That's one thing Japan fails at doing. So many ATM fees.

I saw a decent story where they researched a way to make a computer work with magic
I am VERY interested. Link?

Sorry, I can't remember. It was after they had graduated, though, and the focus of the story was on something else.

I'm the other beta for the fic in question.

I'm just replying to this to let you know that not only do the both of us live and work in Japan, so does the author. Part of the reason the SSN question annoyed us in particular was because it was a show of trying to criticize the story when the question itself displayed ignorance and a very western-centric pov.

I feel the same way you do about stories, so if I see a problem with that I am usually the first to point that out. The author is extremely meticulous with her research though, so usually that's not one of the things I have to correct her on.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #660 ]

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